More Than Tennis Was Taking Place On Court

As the Wimbledon women's championship drew to an end last weekend, Marvell, a Washington Post cafeteria cashier, slipped away from her register to catch the final rally on a nearby television set.

And when defending champion Lindsay Davenport sliced the last ball into the net, sending Venus Williams sky high in victory, Marvell spun on her heels and returned to the cafeteria with a nice grin on her face.

"Venus just won," she announced.

Patricia, a security guard who had been keeping an eye on Marvell's cash register, broke out in a smile. "Oooh, that's so great!" she said.

I would not have guessed either of these women were tennis fans. Sure enough, it's not a sport they watch regularly. Only when Venus or Serena Williams is playing, as it turned out.

"When I'm home and they are on, I watch," said Marvell, who is black. "They are two young black females striving to reach their goals, and it's a beautiful sight to see them make it. It also helps to relieve tension, seeing them smack those little balls around the court like that."

Back in the the newsroom, I found other co-workers watching Venus hug her Wimbledon trophy. These weren't bona-fide tennis fans, either. Then again, Venus' victory at Wimbledon, like sister Serena's at the U.S. Open last year, was not just about tennis.

"What I really like about this, to tell you the truth, is that they are so dark-skinned," said Vanessa, an editor who is black. "There is no mistaking who they are. They are African princesses."

Jackie, another editor who is black, said: "I love Venus' unabashed enthusiasm. I liked the way she ran into the stands and hugged her sister. And I also liked the way she shut the critics up once and for all."

The critics, especially tennis-champ-turned-commentator Chris Evert, certainly had done their part to bring drama to Wimbledon. Because the Williams sisters had bypassed the junior tennis circuit, they were somehow not really ready for Grand Slam matches, the critics said.

By his own account, Richard Williams had coached his daughters in a way designed to build confidence and encourage unity among them. But his approach was discounted by analysts who said his daughters played with poor technique and could not perform well under pressure.

"The TV commentators made me so mad," said Stacey, a black reporter who sits near me. "When they'd talk about [Martina] Hingis, they'd say things about how smart and calculating she is, about her skill and anticipation. But when it came to Venus, it was all about her upper-body strength, always about her physiology rather than her intellect. She never received credit for employing a thoughtful, winning strategy."

After Venus beat Davenport, Stacey walked away from the television set pumping her fist.

I was happy, too. The sensational victories of the Williams sisters, along with the phenomenal golfer Tiger Woods, have provided as good an antidote as one is likely to find for what could otherwise be called the Year of the Misbehaving Black Athlete.

So many young, talented and rich black sportsmen are destroying themselves that a study ought to be commissioned to find out what's gotten into them. To have a good, clean, wholesome, family-oriented black sports-success story is quite a relief.

My heart went out to Richard Williams, who hadn't even been able to watch the semifinals match between his daughters and reportedly burst into tears after hearing that Serena had lost.

But, as Shakespeare would say, all's well that ends well. And in the end, there was Pop Williams, dancing in the stands at Wimbledon.